Mosaic sheet for analysis and synthesis of memory meshes



April 1965 H. J. M CREARY 73, 9

MOSAIC SHEET FOR ANALYSIS AND SYNTHESIS OF MEMO RY MESHES Filed June 9. 1950 INVENTOR. Harald. Mc Cre ary United States Patent "cc 3,178,691 MOSAIC SHEET FOR ANALYSIS AND SYNTHESIS OF MEMORY MESHES Harold J. McCreary, Canoga Park, Califi, assignor to Automatic Electric Laboratories, Inc., Northlake, lll., a

corporation of Delaware Filed June 9, 1960, Ser. No. 35,034 3 Claims. (Cl. 340174) This invention relates to magnetic memory devices, and more particularly, to an improvement in the construction of a magnetic memory panel.

An object of this invention is to provide a magnetic memory which lends itself well to rapid assembly methods.

Another more specific object of this invention is to provide a magnetic memory panel utilizing straight conductors.

A feature of this invention is the utilization of corrugations and aligned holes in a memory panel to facilitate threading conductors therethrough.

The embodiment of the invention disclosed herein is a magnetic memory comprising a panel of perforated sheet material preferably exhibiting square hysteresis loop characteristics. A magnetic memory consisting of a panel of magnetic sheet material with holes therein has been disclosed, for example, in US. Patent 2,912,677. According to the present invention a panel of this general type is provided with a plurality of parallel corrugations, each corrugated portion having a plurality of holes along its length. The holes are spaced in rows and columns throughout the panel such that straight conducting Wires may be threaded therethrough.

The invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 represents a magnetic memory panel without the conductors, showing the pattern of holes and the corrugations.

FIG. 2 represents a magnetic memory panel which has been wired.

FIG. 3 is a cross-section along lines 33 of FIG. 1 and illustrates the shape of the corrugations and the alignment of the holes.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention is herein disclosed and discussed, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to this embodiment, but may easily be adapted to other uses either in its present form or by slight alterations.

FIGURE 1 of the drawing shows the disclosed version of the memory panel 14 before being wired. This panel 14 consists of a sheet of generally square hysteresis loop magnetic material such as the material commonly known as Deltamax, which has been perforated so that individual magnetic memory elements or cores are formed around the holes, has then been corrugated saw-tooth fashion in the manner shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, and then annealed.

As shown in the drawings, the corrugations are along lines parallel to a line of the apertures in the panel. Each corrugation consists of two adjacent portions 10, which together form a ridge 11 across the panel. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the holes 12 are arranged in a pattern such that each hole 12 is in a row of holes parallel to one edge of the panel and is also in a row of holes parallel to the other edge of the panel to form a generally square matrix of holes. Furthermore each hole 12 is also in a row of holes diagonal to the edges of the panel. In the preferred embodiment disclosed herein, it is this row of holes to which the corrugations of the panel are parallel. It should be noted, however, that it is also possible to corrugate the panel parallel to other lines of holes, for example, parallel to the lines of holes which are parallel to an edge of the panel.

FIGURE 2 of the drawing shows the memory panel 14 with the wires inserted. Each such wired panel is a memory unit in itself, however, when a larger memory storage unit is desired, several panels can be stacked together. A straight wire 13 is placed in each vertical row of holes; a straight wire 15 is placed in each horizontal row of holes; and a straight wire 17 is threaded through each row of holes perpendicular to the direction of the corrugations. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, a single wire 17 is threaded serially through all the rows of holes perpendicular to the direction of the corrugations throughout the panel.

Thus vertical wire 13 and horizontal wire 15 could be used as the /2 write conductors of the memory and wire 17 which links all the magnetic elements of the memory could serve as the read-out or sense conductor in a manner known per se. A complete memory system employing a matrix wired generally in the manner shown in FIG. 3 has been disclosed, for example, in copending patent application S.N. 845,901, filed by J G. Van Bosse on October 12, 1959, now United States Patent 3,133,154, and assigned to the assignee of the instant application. It will be understood that the wiring shown in FIG. 2 is exemplary only and that in particular, other straight conductors, such as inhibit conductors, could be threaded through the magnetic panel according to the invention, in addition to the write-in wires and read-out wires shown.

FIGURE 3 of the drawing is a cross-section of the panel 14 taken in a direction perpendicular to the corrugations, and indicates a preferred alignment of the holes. Broken line 16 indicates how a straight wire, such as 17 (FIG. 2), may be threaded through the aligned holes along this section and through each row of holes parallel to this section. The holes are aligned lengthwise of this section in such a manner and the corrugations are at a depth such that a straight wire such as 17 may easily be threaded therein without bending. In a similar way, a sectional view taken parallel to an edge of the panel would also show the holes in alignment and the corrugations at a depth such that a straight wire 13 or 15 could easily be inserted therein.

What is claimed is:

1. A magnetic memory panel comprising a sheet of material having a substantially square hysteresis loop and having an array of aligned apertures therein forming a corresponding array of magnetic memory elements, said sheet being corrugated along lines parallel to a line of said apertures, said corrugation providing ridges on each side of said panel and also providing at least two surface portions between any two said ridges on the same side of said panel, said apertures disposed in said surface portions, and adjacent ones of said surface portions being angularly disposed to each other and alternate ones of said surface portions being mutually parallel.

2. A magnetic memory comprising: a plurality of electrical conductors; a sheet of substantially square hysteresis loop material, said sheet being corrugated saw-tooth fashion providing a plurality of sheet portions adjacent Patented Apr. 13,, 1965' ones of which extend at an angle to each other and alternate ones of which extend in mutually parallel planes; and a plurality of apertures, said apertures disposed in said sheet portions and forming an array of corresponding magnetic memory elements, said electrical conductors threaded through said apertures.

3. A magnetic memory, as claimed in claim 2, Wherein said apertures are aligned in four directions and wherein said angle between adjacent sheet portions and the alignment of said apertures is such that each said electrical conductor is threaded rectilinearly through corresponding lines of said apertures in at least three directions of said four direction alignment.

4 References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,878,463 3/59 Austen 340174 2,882,519 4/59 Walentine et a1. 340-174 2,911,627 11/59 Kilbum 340174 3,008,130 11/61 Devaud et a1 340-174 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,156,747 9/55 France.

IRVING L. SRAGOW, Primary Examiner.

EVERETT R. REYNOLDS, Examiner. 

1. A MAGNETIC MEMORY PANEL COMPRISING A SHEET OF MATERIAL HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY SQUARE HYSTERESIS LOOP AND HAVING AN ARRAY OF ALIGNED APERTURES THEREIN FORMING A CORRESPONDING ARRAY OF MAGNETIC MEMORY ELEMENTS, SAID SHEET BEING CORRUGATED ALONG LINES PARALLEL TO A LINE OF SAID APERTURES, SAID CORRUGATION PROVIDING RIDGES ON EACH SIDE OF SAID PANEL AND ALSO PROVIDING AT LEAST TWO SURFACE PORTIONS BETWEEN ANY TWO SAID RIDGES ON THE SAME SIDE OF 